Food Systems and Nutrition: Emerging Evidence and Research Opportunities

Recent research has focused on the relationship between a household's production and the nutrition of women and children. Key findings indicate that productivity and production diversity are generally beneficial, with livestock ownership potentially increasing access to animal-source foods. Gender roles play a crucial role in time-use, decision-making, and control of own-produced products, while access to markets and market literacy are essential for selling higher-value, nutrient-rich foods. Food safety is also a critical concern, particularly in managing mycotoxin risks. The adoption of "next-generation" technologies that add value to nutrient-dense foods, such as processing, drying, storage, and transportation innovations, is essential for improving nutrition outcomes. Additionally, linking agricultural and market interventions with effective behavior-change communication is crucial for achieving nutrition gains. At a macro level, research has provided insights into the role of climate shocks and seasonality on birth outcomes and child growth. This has led to a growing recognition of the importance of building resilience for agricultural livelihoods and smoothing diet quality and nutrition outcomes. Rural markets and infrastructure are also critical for delivering nutritious commodities. Emerging priority issues requiring deeper research-based understanding include the development of pro-resilience interventions that protect diets and nutrition in the face of shocks and climate change. Innovations and scale-up of productivity-enhancing technologies and practices along the value chain, particularly for nutrient-dense foods, are also essential. Additionally, research is needed on the impacts of agriculture-based interventions on adolescent girls' diets, micronutrient status, and energy expenditure, as well as on women of reproductive age. Understanding the drivers of consumption choice among low-income smallholder households close to markets is also critical, as is comparing the cost-effectiveness of alternative approaches and entry points in the food system for changing behaviors on adoption of new inputs, food choices, and market farm outputs. Furthermore, research is needed on combined food safety threats and their impact on health and nutrition at the household level, as well as untangling the relationships between water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) elements and nutrition outcomes.